One of the biggest and most common errors is for people to assume that simply dropping calories or increasing the amount of cardiovascular exercise they do will result in losing weight/fat. It’s fairly understandable since it seems to be a logical equation right? Calories control our ability to gain / lose weight and cardiovascular exercise alters the way that our body burns calories.

Unfortunately, the human body isn’t so simple and having a simple understanding of something that is complex is extremely dangerous since it provides with a sense of confidence that we should not have on the matter. Now it is true, that if we starve ourselves we will eventually lose weight – we may also faint, have muscle cramping, dizziness, nausea, heart problems and more but we will eventually lose weight. However, chances are that we will lose good weight. Truth be told, it is common to lose fat while retaining muscle tissue and this is why you see a lot of individuals that are “flabby” but thin and ultimately still at risk of developing many diseases

So how does it work? Segmentation and goal setting. First, you need to change your caloric needs based on your body’s needs. As you decrease in weight, you can decrease the amount of calories you consume. You set goals to lose a realistic amount of weight, both short and long term then execute by putting in physical work and adhering to a proper nutrition plan. Your body is adaptive and therefore you must be as well. The general rule is that, calorie wise, you should consume 11x your body weight minus 5-10% while dieting to lose weight. You need to have the proper breakdown of fats, carbohydrates and protein as well. Coupling this with the right exercise routine will help things go along more smoothly and provide you with the “look” you desire or at the very least, much close to the look you desire than what could be achieved with dieting alone.

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